A court ruling to go ahead with today’s primary and then an order to shut down all 3,600 polling places caused confusion for many Ohioans – but maybe no group was more affected than the tens of thousands of people set to work the polls.
For the last six elections, Jim McKee has taken a vacation day to be a poll worker in Franklin County. He heard a judge ruled that the primary would not be delayed – but right after that got an automated text from the board saying the election had been postponed to June 2. Other poll workers got the same message.
Big problems here in Ohio: A Franklin County poll worker just shared with me this email saying no need to show up tomorrow. A judge has ruled the election is ON. pic.twitter.com/e6es5K0TgE
— Karen Kasler (@karenkasler) March 16, 2020
“The fact that it was so immediate was very confusing too – the judge ruled and less than two minutes later, the board of elections was saying the opposite of what he had just ruled. So I wasn’t sure, should I set my alarm clock for 4am?”
He got three more conflicting emails and had no way to contact the board or his manager. Some boards of elections websites showed the primary was indeed cancelled.
Mahoning County BOE reports tomorrow’s primary is postponed, though a judge denied the request to move it pic.twitter.com/2aVoIwCWz9
— Karen Kasler (@karenkasler) March 17, 2020
And poll workers across the state said they were also getting conflicting information.
All poll workers, including me, were robocalled and told not to report to our polling locations for set up tonight. It’s a complete shit show if the election is on.
— Rebecca Maurer (@rebecca__maurer) March 16, 2020
I’m one. Called the Stark County BOE this afternoon after theDeWine/LaRose presser and they told me the election had been postponed. I specifically asked if I should show up at 5:30 am (time for poll workers to report) anyway in case the decision changed and they told me no.
— MLSchultze (@MLSchultze) March 16, 2020
And as the situation changed, some county officials said they were rushing to contact poll workers to make sure they showed up as scheduled.
Ashtabula county BOE we are calling workers to report pic.twitter.com/Am2frNK06n
— David Thomas (@DavidThomasOH) March 17, 2020
When McKee woke up at 4, he found out the primary was off and he went to his regular job.
An apology went out on Tuesday to Franklin County poll workers from Board of Elections Director Ed Leonard.
Franklin County Board of Elections Director Ed Leonard sent an apology to poll workers left confused last night by communications that the primary was cancelled after a ruling the primary was on. An order closing the polls over concerns about coronavirus spread came out later. pic.twitter.com/YgGV47k5fk
— Karen Kasler (@karenkasler) March 17, 2020
McKee said he’ll work the polls again, but hopes for more clear communication and that he'll be skeptical of what he hears from the board next time.
Some sites reported voters turning up to cast ballots early this morning to find their polling place closed.
